Finnegan’s Fabrications - What Really Matters

I raced for a championship on my own dime for years. Building, tuning, and driving took a toll, and the self-induced pressure to win turned me into an over-stressed asshat. My friends and I finally won that championship in 2005 on the last pass at the last race of the season, and as soon as it was over, the stress faded, we drank heartily, and got lost for a few hours, celebrating the accomplishment together. By the next day, we were back at our real jobs, assimilated into our everyday lives, and the world kept on spinning as if nothing special happened that beautiful October night in Bakersfield.

I made ugly decisions about time, money, and morality during my quest to beat every last competitor to the top of the mountain, and once I got there I realized that the view was great, but I missed out on an awful lot of fun along the way because my blind obsession for racing got in the way of birthdays, weddings, family gatherings—you know, the stuff that really matters. It wasn’t hindsight that opened my eyes because literally the moment I held the trophy in my hands my mind drifted off to another place. Mentally, I was already home. I’ve taken a break from racing, and it’s been good for my head and my bank account. My vision is clearing. I’m…better. In fact, I’m almost ready to mash the gas again but not in a desperate search for points and trophies this time. Instead, I think I’ll chase a few personal e.t. records on my own terms and my own schedule. I think I’ll call my friends and see if they want to go racing again—just for fun.